A Bow Valley couple who sold their possessions more than four years ago to travel are making a difference half-a-world away.
Jillian Amatt and Chris DeCap are hosting a GoFundMe campaign to assist the Ugandan village of Kikorongo, near the Queen Elizabeth National Park and close to the Democratic Republic of Congo border, in receiving necessary food, water and medical supplies.
While travelling, Amatt and DeCap were staying at the nearby Elephant Home when they heard their host, Jason, speaking with a Polish couple on what was needed for the village.
The two had been in the village two days prior and saw the storefronts were mostly closed. They were told both water and food were needed.
“Within an hour of hearing his stories about what he had just witnessed in the village, I decided to put a video plea out to my Facebook friends to see if they could help,” Amatt said in an email from Uganda. “Within minutes money started rolling into my account via Canadian e-transfers. I realized that people really wanted to help, and to broaden that opportunity to other contacts outside of Canada, I should also start a GoFundMe campaign.”
She originally put a call out on her Facebook page on June 30 and saw e-transfers show up to help for initial supplies to the tune of about $3,000. The support saw 176 homes provided with food after 40 hours of fundraising.
An additional $130 saw them buy an entire tank of water of roughly 8,000 litres that allowed each household fill three five-gallon jugs to help with cooking, washing, cleaning and drinking. The truck ships the water in once a week from a nearby mountain river, Amatt said.
There have since been subsequent deliveries of food, with each one costing about $1,700.
Since starting the campaign, they’ve received more than $6,500 in e-transfers and more than $6,100 through GoFundMe.
Amatt, who was born in Banff and raised in Canmore, said the two have lived and travelled in 11 countries since making the move, staying in places for at least three months or longer.
Amatt and DeCap left the valley in 2017 after selling their possessions, including their house, car and businesses. They did it to pursue a passion of travel, which has taken them across continents.
The plan came into being after watching a minimalism documentary on Netflix and they decided to leave the stresses of their everyday lives behind.
It’s been four-and-a-half years since the decision, one which neither regret.
Amatt said their travels have seen people in varying scenarios from a lack of money, little support from governments and having to fend for themselves.
She said the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the community’s economy, which sits on the edge of the popular Queen Elizabeth National Park where tourism has a pivotal role, similar to the Bow Valley.
But the main concern was the lack of a direct water source, meaning water was trucked in and expensive.
“COVID has devastated the tourism economy around the world,” she said. “Many places have come to rely on this steady stream of pretty reliable income. But when disaster strikes, and nobody travels, they suddenly find themselves in very precarious positions.
“In this area, they have had a double whammy of bad luck. They are also experiencing an extended drought season that has been changing for the past few years. Due to climate change, they can no longer predict the wet and dry season cycles, and many crops are failing in this area.”
The farm livelihoods had also been impacted by a lack of rain, which has devastated the ability to yield crops.
Amatt said the Elephant Home did a successful food drive the previous year when they entered a lockdown for the pandemic.
In addition to the immediate help, they’ve also assisted with composting, building a community garden and a workshop on raising bees. There are also plans for teaching how to dry seeds and plant them.
“We get numerous messages of appreciation and even received a thank you letter from the village for what we are doing. I think the biggest surprise to them all is that we are giving freely, knowing that they can give us nothing in return,” Amatt said. “They are thrilled to know that there are people across the world that are also concerned for their well being.”
Amatt said they received a windfall of donations at the beginning, but it has since slowed. She’s hopeful to help them bridge the gap until the community is able to begin producing food again.
“Much of the help we have received so far has already come from my contacts in the Bow Valley and we are so grateful for all of it,” she said. “This money is being spent directly on these people in a very quick and efficient way because of peoples trust in me, which I truly appreciate.
“I also feel that the Town of Canmore can probably relate to some extent because of its small town atmosphere. It was a great community to grow up in, and it truly has shaped the person that I am today. … This kindness and generosity is also a testament to where we have come from, and the values that we as Canadians, and fellow travellers, hold dear to them.”
For more information, visit the GoFundMe page at: https://bit.ly/Kikorongo.
